


The TAZ Adventure Zone One-Shots

by thatratboy



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2020-07-30 14:13:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20098507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatratboy/pseuds/thatratboy
Summary: Here's my series of TAZ one-shots! As of right now, it's just angst from Amnesty, but I'll most likely write some happy chapters and maybe some stuff from Balance. There will be a lot of spoilers, though a lot of it will probably be my own head canons and potentially some AU's. I love comments and feedback, but please don't be mean. These are just meant to entertain. Enjoy!





	1. The Hornets (angst)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How did the Hornets come to be? Why did Jake leave? How did the final battle go for them? Let's hope it's not this angsty

Jake Coolice never really fit in when he came over from Sylvain. He had Mama and Barclay and the lodge but… the only person around his age was Dani, and even then, she was older than him. There was a crushing feeling about it, the loneliness. It was almost suffocating at times. It wasn’t until he visited the skate park on the edge of town at age 13 that he made friends. He’d been trying out an old skateboard that Barclay bought him for his last birthday and finally nailed the trick he was working on. Looking back, it was laughably basic, but it had been one of his proudest moments to date. Especially because it got the attention of a certain teen.

“Sick moves, little man.” Were their first words to him.

“Wha--Oh… Thanks..” Were his to them.

They’d laughed, then. Maybe they’d always loved how he could never take a compliment without tripping over his words. “Have you got a name to go with all those kick flips?”

“Jake. Jake Coolice.”

“I’m Hollis. That dipshit over there is Keith. Just met him about an hour ago.” They motioned back to a red haired boy who’d fallen on his ass. “I could show you some more moves, if you’re interested. You seem pretty rad.”

“Y-Yeah sure I’d like that.” Jake had stuttered through his reply. He was caught up in the black bob and the bright green eyes in front of him. And he would be for a very long time.

\-----

A friendship had bloomed that day. Two, if you include Keith, which you probably should. Hollis and Keith were 14 and 15, respectively, when the three of them had met. Now they were 15 and 16, and the three of them had become the closest group of friends in the entirety of Kepler. It was this year that Hollis proposed a name.

“The Hornets?” Keith, now with blue hair, had asked, with more confusion than disagreement.

“Yeah! Like a stunt squad. Just the three of us.”

Jake considered this before offering his trademark dopey grin. “I think it sounds like fun. We could make cool jackets and--”

“And have lemonade stands to raise money to buy new equipment!” Keith interjected, earning a smile from Hollis now.

“Hell yeah!” They put their hand in the middle of the circle of them. “Hornets always and forever?”

The two boys followed their example and spoke in unison. “Always and forever!”

\-----

Jake Collice was in love with his best friend. He’d realized this fact only a few days after his 15th birthday, when the friend in question had taken him out for ice cream, just the two of them. He found himself transfixed by their newly shaved hair. Still black, which he thought was funny. Maybe they’d never get out of their emo phase after all. But, regardless, he was in love with them. It didn’t take a certain pink-haired Keith very long to catch on.

“So you’ve got the hots for Hol?” He’d asked one time when they’d gotten a bit of alone time together.

Jake blushed, immediately giving himself away. “What? No! No I-I don’t know what you’re talking about. We’re just friends, nothing more, and I--” He stopped, catching the look in Keith’s eye, and deflated. “Alright so I do. What of it?”

“You gotta tell them.”

“I don’t gotta do anything! Plus they don’t even--”

“Jesus fuck you two are impossible. Just talk to them. Trust me.”

“Hey Holly…? Can I talk to you about something?”

It was a week later, and Jake and Hollis were laying on a blanket in an old barn that the Hornets had claimed as their own, spending yet another day alone together. Hollis had been quietly humming ‘You Are My Sunshine’ to themself.

They glanced over with a soft smile. “What’s up, Jay?” 

He didn’t want to look at them. He could see that damned smile in the corner of his eye, and he knew that if he looked over, he’d be tempted to kiss it off of their face. “I… Things are weird…”

“Alright Coolice--” They sat up against the wall “--Get over here and quit being so cryptic.”

Jake did as he was told and sat up next to them, gaze locked on his hands in his lap. “I… I like you.”

They laughed. “I like you too, buddy. I wouldn’t be friends with you if I didn’t.

“No, Hol, not--” He cursed himself, running his fingers through his hair and tugging “--I like-like you…”

They were silent for a moment too long before laughing harder. So hard, in fact, that it took five whole minutes for them to regain their breath. “You like-like me?”

Jake, nearly on the verge of tears now in fear of rejection. “Yeah…”

“What are you, 12?”

That was it. Jake had had enough and stood on shaky legs. “I’m sorry I have to go.”

“Jake, you dumbass, I drove you here--”

“And I’ll walk myself home.” He snapped back, already out the door. A hand on his wrist stopped him from getting too far, and he whipped around to face Hollis.

He was met with those beautiful green eyes staring him down. “Jakey wait… I’m only teasing.” They paused, hand moving to hold Jake's. “Do you really ‘like-like’ me?” He nodded, still avoiding all eye contact. “Then kiss me.” He looked at them, shock fading at the sight of their gentle smile.

And he did.

\-----

Keith didn’t mind third wheeling. By the time he was 18, he’d been doing it for over a year. Hollis and Jake were dating, and they didn’t need to explicitly tell anyone for everyone to know. But they were still the Hornets, yellow jackets with hand painted bees and all. Things started to change, though. Hollis got riskier, and Keith was trying to ‘recruit’ more teens for their stunt group. Jake didn’t like this at all. They were the Hornets. Just the three of them, not these two, three, four, five other assholes. He pulled Hollis aside one day when he’d had too much.

“Holly, what are you doing?”

“What do you mean?”

“The Hornets. What happened to just the three of us?”

They scoffed. “Come on, Jay, you know we need more friends than just us.”

Jake hung his head. “I didn’t think we did…”

Hollis took his hands in theirs, giving him that soft smile that always made his heart melt. “Jakey… Hey… Just because we’ve got more friends doesn’t mean we have to forget the old ones. You’re not gonna lose me, baby. I’m always gonna be here for you.”

Jake nodded and wrapped them in a hug. “Hornets always and forever?”

“Always and forever. I love you.”

“I love you too…”

\-----

“What happened to us, Hol?” Jake yelled only a few weeks later. “What the fuck did you do to this group?”

“What did I do?” Hollis shot back defensively. “You’re the one giving up!”

“I’m not giving up! I would never give up on us!”

“I’m not talking about us, Jake, I’m talking about my group! The Hornets!”

Jake paused for a moment, staring at them. “Your group?! Are you shitting me?! What happened to Keith and I?!”

“You can’t even lie to yourself and say that I’m not the leader of everyone here.”

Jake was dumbfounded. “Hol… What happened to you?”

“No, what happened to you, Jake? When did you become so selfish and jealous of me?”

Jake laughed, a noise almost like he was punched in the gut. “Jealous of you? What the fuck do I have to be jealous of?”

“People like me.” They snapped. “People respect me. I’m good at what I do, and you’re not.” Their face fell after seeing the tears in Jake’s eyes overflow. “Jakey I--”

“Fuck you, Hollis! I’m fucking done!” He took off his jacket, the newest and nicest version of the Hornets’ uniform, and threw it at Hollis, who caught it with a terrified look in their eyes. “Take it. I’m going home.”

“Baby--”

“No. You don’t get to call me that anymore.” And with that, he turned his back on the love of his life and all of his friends.

The loneliness was back, as crushing and suffocating as it had ever been. Jake would hide in his room for days at a time, much to Mama’s pleas.

“Jakey, you have to eat--”

“Get out of my room, Barclay.”

Those days turned into weeks and those weeks turned into months and suddenly it had been a year since the break up. He hadn’t seen hide nor hair of the Hornets since then, and that was mostly because he rarely left the lodge anymore. But then Aubrey, his new best friend, led them to the lodge. Jake had seen them from out of his bedroom window that day, Keith with frazzled green hair and Hollis… He cried when he saw them. They’re finally allowed their naturally auburn hair to grow in, and they looked absolutely stunning, all done up in black and yellow and armed with a stern look and a baseball bat. Well, they would’ve looked absolutely stunning, had they not been threatening the safety of his friend.

It took him an embarrassingly long amount of time to pull himself from the window and even longer to stop crying.

\-----

A year and a half.

That’s how long it’d been since the fight.

Jake had seen Aubrey leave to talk to the Hornets, and he followed after her. He made himself--and his Sylph form--known to everyone present, in the hopes that it would help. It did, but the silent look of complete and total betrayal in Hollis’s eyes might not have been worth it.

Later that night, they regrouped. The Hornets were officially the diversion for the FBI agents positioned by the gate, and Jake was officially put with them, much to his and Hollis’s dismay. Getting ready for the fight was rough, but Jake made the decision to wear his original Hornets’ jacket. If he was going to be a part of their group again, he needed to look the part, and he didn’t exactly get his other jacket back after the fight. He tugged it on, flinching a bit when he realized that it was a little too small for him. It’d been so long, hadn’t it? So long since they were all happy.

Jake shook his head. He had a battle to focus on. He put on a beanie and wrapped a bandanna around his neck. It was go time.

Hollis didn’t say more than five words to him directly while they all set out a plan. They put him in the back of the formation while putting themself in the front, to absolutely no one’s surprise. He took the hint and stayed as far away from them as possible, but he still caught a few of their soft glances in his direction as they got into position.

Hollis expected to have issues. They expected there to be accidents and injuries. They even expected some of their ranks to fall out of formation. But when things started to get heated, they didn’t expect Jake to be the one to protect them.

“Hollis, go!” He yelled, standing between them and a few agents. “Get out of here! Save yourself!”

“No!” They found themself yelling back. “I’m not leaving you--”

Everyone expected this plan to fail in some respects, but no one expected the gunshot. It was a misfire, meant to be a threat, not to be fatal. But as soon as Jake’s fearful eyes met their own, Hollis was by his side, catching him and lowering him to the ground gently. They were crying, not caring who saw them anymore.

“Hol…?”

“Yeah it’s me, I’m right here, baby, oh fuck--Someone help!”

“Holly... Am I gonna die…?” He looked so scared and so hopeless, lying with his head in their lap.

They looked at the growing blood spot on his shirt and shook their head. “No, Jakey, you’re gonna be okay--Anyone! Please! He’s hurt!”

Jake winced, moving to sit up against a tree, out of sight of the agents. Hollis was quick to help and sit next to him, arm around his shoulders. “I’m… I’m not ready to die…”

“You’re not gonna die, Jakey, I promise. Help is gonna come soon, and everything’s gonna be okay.” They said, trying to keep their sobs to a minimum as they tried to convince themself and Jake. After a moment, Jake’s breathing began to slow, and Hollis panicked. “I’m so sorry, Jay… For everything I did and everything I said I--” They took a gasping breath “--I was an asshole, and I pushed you away--”

“‘S not your fault, Holly… ‘M not mad at you…”

They pulled him closer, and he winced a bit, resting his head against theirs. “What can I do for you?”

Jake paused, and they had to look over to make sure he was still conscious. “Can you sing…? I love when you sing…”

They nodded. “Of course, Jakey… Of course.” They wracked their brain for a moment until--They sobbed at the thought alone but went with it regardless. “You are my sunshine… My only sunshine…” They felt him laugh a bit, despite his situation. “You make me happy when skies are grey… You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you…” They paused, took a shaky breath. “Please don’t take… My sunshine… Away…”

There was a beat of silence. “Hollis…?”

“Yeah, Jake?”

“I love you…”

They opened their mouth to repeat it back, but Jake fell slack against them, and they moved to sit in front of him. “Jake? Jake no no no please wake up--” They took his face in their hands “--No no you can’t… You can’t be gone… Jakey no… Come back, please I… Jakey I love you so much.” They kissed him, as if this were some Disney movie where true love’s kiss could fix everything. But this wasn’t a movie. This was real life. And Jake was dead.

Hollis felt a broken cry rip from their throat at the same time that a branch cracked behind them. They didn’t want to look. They didn’t want to move. They just wanted to hold Jake in their arms on the forest floor until they died with him.

“I-Is that Jake…?” Keith’s voice was soft and raspy. “Please tell that’s not… No…” He knelt next to Hollis, wrapping his arms around them and Jake. Hollis buried their face into Jake’s hair, and Keith did the same with them.

The three of them sat there for a long time, two of them sobbing and gasping while the third laid motionless, never to move again. But the Hornets were back together. And there they’d stay, at least in spirit, always and forever.


	2. Jake/Keith (angst?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake goes coo-coo for cocoa puffs

Jake was in love with Keith, that much was clear to everyone. It had started off innocent when they were younger. He’d fallen for the red hair and the dorky glasses that never seemed to stay in one piece. He’d fallen for the bruises and scrapes and band-aids. The kickflips and heelies and bicycles. But soon the hair was dyed and the glasses were gone. The bruises and scrapes and band-aids become obsolete as Keith’s skills improved. And when he traded his rusty green bicycle for a sleek and clean motorcycle, poor Jake knew he had it bad.

Things changed when Hollis started to interfere. At first, it was a simple annoyance. They’d hang out with Keith and not invite Jake. They’d shove Keith playfully and sit closer to him on the couch. One time, they even kissed his cheek _ right in front of him _. Jake could handle things like that. It was hard for him, but he knew that they were friends and that he’d have to get over it.

But, as they always do, things escalated.

Jake had stopped over Hollis and Keith’s apartment one day to drop off some food from Barclay, as he did most days, but apparently, they hadn’t expected guests. Keith was on the couch with a lapful of a shirtless Hollis, and Jake couldn’t tell which one of them was making those lewd noises. He gritted his teeth and slammed the tupperware onto the counter, startling both of his friends.

Hollis squeaked and glanced up at Jake over Keith’s shoulder, their face burning red. “H-Hey Jake! We didn’t realize you were coming over today!”

“Yeah, obviously.” He growled out.

They slid out of Keith’s lap and redressed while the latter stood. “Shit--Hi Jakey. You weren’t--We didn’t mean for you to see--”

“What, so you were just gonna hide it from me?”

“No, we--”

“How long have you two been together?”

There was a long pause before Hollis answered. “About three months.”

Jake was dumbfounded. He wanted to cry. He was so incredibly angry that he could just-- “Fuck you.” And he was out the door without another word.

\-----

It only took a week for Keith to show up in Jake’s room, alone and exhausted. Jake didn’t even look up from his sketchbook when the other boy slid in through his window.

“Jake?” No response. “Jake, I just want to talk to you.” Nothing. “Please, Jakey…”

That damn nickname got him every time--His gaze flicked up from his book. “What do you want?”

Keith sat himself on the bed next to Jake. “I wanted to apologize. For not telling you sooner.” Jake rolled his eyes. “Seriously. That was shitty of us to do, and we’re sorry.”

“Don’t speak for Hollis.”

There was a pause, a sigh. “Okay, then, _ I’m _ sorry. I know I should’ve told you, but Hollis knew you’d react badly, so they--” He was cut off by the noise of an incoming text message, and he picked up his phone to read it. “Sorry, um… It’s Hollis. I should go. They don’t want me over here.”

“That’s a little manipulative, don’t you think?”

“No? They’re just worried that you’re gonna go off on me and that I’d be in danger.”

Jake stood, sketchbook and materials clattering to the ground. “They have no right to boss you around like that. You’re a grown-ass man, and you know I’d never hurt you, right?” Keith’s silence was enough of an answer for him. “Are you _ serious _? What kind of shit are they putting into your head?”

“Jakey I--”

“Tell me you don’t think I’d hurt you.”

“Why are you getting so--”

“_Say it _.”

Keith stood too, now, and grabbed Jake’s shoulders. “I know you’d never hurt me. You just scared us both last week.” He sighed deeply. “They’re not manipulative, Jakey. You know that.”

“Do I?”

“Yes, you do. We’ve all been friends long enough for you to know that they’re not like that.”

“I don’t know what they’re like anymore--”

“Well if you can’t trust them, trust me.”

It took Jake a long moment, but he eventually sighed and nodded. “Okay… Okay, I trust you.”

Keith smiled and wrapped the smaller boy in a quick, tight hug. “Thank you… Now, I really need to leave. I love you, man.” Before Jake could answer, Keith was back out the window.

Jake gritted his teeth. “You don’t love me…” He growled at the open window. He paused, thinking, and hurried over to his closet, pulling out an old wooden baseball bat. He hit it against his palm with a smirk. “Alright, Hollis. You want dangerous? I’ll give you dangerous.”

\-----

Keith hadn’t seen Hollis all night. They’d gone out earlier that day for groceries, but it was nearly 11 pm, now, and they weren’t answering their phone. A knock on the door made him jump. They’d probably forgotten their keys and walked to the store and now couldn’t get back in. That was as valid of an explanation as Keith had come up with all night.

He hurried to the door and swung it open. “Hey, baby, did you--” He cut off, seeing who was actually at the door. It wasn’t Hollis. It was Jake. He held a baseball bat and was completely covered in blood. “Shit--Jakey, are you okay? Come in, oh my God--”

Jake shuffled inside, gaze unfocused. “Are you proud of me, baby…?”

Keith looked dumbfounded. “I… What? Jakey, please, you’re delirious from blood loss. Let me patch you up--”

“It’s not mine…”

“...What?”

“The blood… It’s not mine…”

Keith blinked, processing. “Whose is it?” He didn’t like the way Jake giggled when he asked that. “Jakey… What did you do?”

“They hurt you.” He responded, looking at Keith with a sickening grin. “They were trying to manipulate my baby, and I couldn’t have that…”

“What did you do?” Keith asked again, more sternly this time. He heard his own voice shaking with every word.

“Aw baby there’s no need to be afraid. It’s just me, your Jakey. You know I’d never hurt you.” He stepped closer, trailing a bloody finger down Keith’s cheek. “They put up a good fight. Really wanted to live, Hollis did.” He shrugged. “But they had to pay the price for hurting my baby, didn’t they?”

Keith was silent for a long time, eyes blown wide and mouth hanging open. “I don’t--”

“Now you’re all mine, right? No more Hollis interrupting. No more Hollis taking you away. You’re mine, baby.” He fisted his hand in Keith’s shirt, tugging him closer. “I’d never hurt you. I love you. And I’m gonna protect you from all the bad guys that _ do _ want to hurt you.” There was a pause. “But… If you decide that you don’t want me…” Keith felt a sharp object press against his stomach, and he sucked in a breath. “You won’t get the chance, got it?” Keith nodded shakily, and Jake smiled. “Good boy. Now… Help me get cleaned up?”


End file.
